Sixth Telford school joins fast-growing trust
The Learning Community Trust has welcomed a sixth Telford school into its ranks.
Wrekin View, in Wellington, joins the three Telford secondary schools already under its umbrella – Hadley Learning Community, Charlton and Ercall Wood – plus Queensway Special School, and HLC primary.
Dr Gill Eatough, executive principal and chief executive of the Trust, said: “We have been in negotiations with Wrekin View for around nine or 10 months, and are delighted to welcome them to our family.
“This is a big, strong primary school which already has a track record of working well with HLC primary – now that they are both part of the Trust, these links will undoubtedly strengthen and blossom even further.”
She added: “The vast majority of Wrekin View’s students tend to move onto secondary schools which are also part of our Trust, so it means they will now be part of our family right through their education.”
Adrian Pembleton, headteacher at Wrekin View, said: “We are thrilled to be joining the Learning Community Trust, and excited about the new opportunities that will be available.
“Myself and the governors feel that this Multi-Academy Trust is best suited to support the aims and vision of Wrekin View – to become an outstanding school – and to support our ethos of a high quality education for all pupils.
“Joining a Trust with other local schools means we can continue to work collaboratively, and strengthen our existing links.”
The Learning Community Trust was established in June 2017 to create a Multi-Academy Trust in North Telford to drive school improvement and ensure the best possible outcomes for students.
Dr Eatough said: “We are committed to supporting and challenging our schools to be the very best they can be, and provide a high-quality education right across the ability range - from high-flying students, to those who need more help and support to do well.”
The benefits of being part of the Trust are clear to see, from the latest set of GCSE exam results.
At Charlton, more than 70% achieved grades 9-4 in English and maths, and the top 25 students averaged grade seven or above in all 10 of their subjects. They were the school’s best-ever results.
HLC also recorded its best-ever results in the ‘core’ English Baccalaureate (EBacc) subjects - English, maths, science, foreign language, history and geography.
And strong subject areas at Ercall Wood included geography, sciences and art, with the school seeing its highest ever number of top-level grade nine passes.
The Learning Community Trust also has a formal partnership with Telford College, offering further education curriculum pathways in four key areas – health, engineering, sport and aviation.
The management teams will also be exploring the possibility of developing a framework for the joint delivery of some post-16 education, as well as staging ‘masterclasses’ which give secondary school students a taste of college life.
Dr Eatough added: “This is a very exciting time for the Learning Community Trust. A priority in our growth strategy was to expand our primary school dimension, so the arrival of Wrekin View is key for us.”
